All three judges saw the bout for Cote by scores of 29-28 twice and 30-27, which reflected the Quebec native’s solid showing over 15 minutes.

Cote put Noke on his heels early in the fight with hard punches and then transitioned to takedown attempts. Noke countered early with a guillotine attempt, but Cote was able to escape and score from the top with persistent punches and elbows.

The takedown-centered approach nearly cost Cote the fight in the second when Noke intercepted him with a knee that caught his chin, but he was able to recover and again assert himself from top position. A well-placed knee to the midsection appeared to hurt Noke in the final moment of the frame.

Noke tried in vain to even the score in the third, but was again dragged to the ground.

Cote (20-8 MMA, 7-8 UFC) now enjoys three straight wins in the UFC following a setback to Cung Le at the start of his third stint with the promotion. Noke (20-7-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is forced to reset again following a first round stoppage of Charlie Brenneman in his previous outing. The Aussie is now 1-3 in his past four outings.

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